Gog and Magog, and Other Questions About Moshiach
Q. I assume "Gog and Magog" refers to a war between two countries or regions at the start of or during the age of the Mashiach. If one of the countries is Israel, do you know the name of the other country or region?
A. People mistakenly believe that Gog and Magog are supposed to be two nations. Actually, "Magog" represents the name of the nation and "Gog" represents the name of its leader. Which nation and leader specifically these names are meant to represent, however, no one could say.
You can read more about the war of Gog and Magog here.
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Q. Does the worldwide Jewish community currently know the various families from whom the Mashiach could come?
A. We know that the Moshiach will be descended from King David, by way of his son, King Solomon. There are thousands of people alive today who can trace their lineage back to King David. I imagine that some of them might potentially be Moshiach, but that’s not necessarily the case. (It has to be through his son Solomon. Those who can trace themselves to David via another son may have royal blood in them, but they can’t be Moshiach.) Most people can’t trace their lineage that far back, so someone could be descended from David and Solomon and just not know it. I suspect Moshiach will most likely be someone unexpected.
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Q. Why is rebuilding the Temple a requirement for the messiah? The second Temple was still in existence during Jesus’s lifetime, so he did not need to rebuild it.
A. That’s kind of our point. Since the Temple was still standing, it would have made it hard for him to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would rebuild it!
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Q. First Elijah will come, then who? Messiah ben David? Or Messiah ben Yosef?
A. Elijah will precede Moshiach ben David. Moshiach ben Yosef need not come at all since his role is conditional. (If he does come, then it will be before Moshiach ben David.)
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Q. How can you believe in the resurrection with a Christ who has not come?
A. Thanks for your question. Jesus is not part of Jewish theology, so "Christ" is inapplicable to us. We have the concept of a messiah, who has not yet come. We don't believe in "the resurrection" as you may mean it, but in "the revival of the dead." This is a future event that will occur after the messianic era, so the messiah will have arrived before that event occurs.
Q. Why is Jesus not part of Jewish theology?
A. Let me ask you this: Why isn't Muhammed a figure in Christian theology? Why isn't Joseph Smith a figure in Hindu theology? The reality is that every religion is based on certain things and not on others. If Christianity accepted the teachings of Muhammed, it would be Islam. Similarly, if Jesus were a part of Jewish theology, it wouldn't be Judaism, it would be Christianity.
Rabbi Jack's book Ask Rabbi Jack is now available from Kodesh Press and on Amazon.com.